U.S. patent number 4,805,834 [Application Number 07/121,123] was granted by the patent office on 1989-02-21 for mailbox signal flag.
Invention is credited to T. Paul Saba.
United States Patent |
4,805,834 |
Saba |
February 21, 1989 |
Mailbox signal flag
Abstract
A signal device for attachment to a rural-type mailbox provides
a visual indication to a remotely located observer that the box has
been opened for insertion of mail. The signal device comprises an
elongated, flat, flexible arm including means at one end for
adhesively attaching the art to the inner surface of the hinged
door of the mailbox, and a brightly colored signal flag at its free
end. The configuration of the adhesive juncture of the arm with the
lid is such as to facilitate flexing of the arm with minimum stress
upon the adhesive layers, whereby the arm can be manually bent over
and inserted into the mailbox upon closing of the lid. When the lid
is subsequently opened and closed for mail delivery, the arm
assumes its normal, erect position with the signal flag displayed
outside the box.
Inventors: |
Saba; T. Paul (Toledo, OH) |
Family
ID: |
22394707 |
Appl.
No.: |
07/121,123 |
Filed: |
November 16, 1987 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
232/34;
232/35 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A47G
29/121 (20130101); A47G 2029/12105 (20170801) |
Current International
Class: |
A47G
29/00 (20060101); A47G 29/122 (20060101); A47G
029/12 () |
Field of
Search: |
;232/35,34,17 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Gibson, Jr.; Robert W.
Attorney, Agent or Firm: MacMillan, Sobanski & Todd
Claims
What is claimed:
1. A signal device for attachment to a mailbox for indicating to a
remotely located observer that mail has been deposited in the box,
the mailbox being of the type including a housing open at one end
and a door hingedly connected at its lower edge to the open end of
the housing and pivotable between open and closed positions, said
signal device comprising a thin elongated spring strip having a
brightly colored flag member at one end and adhesive means affixing
said spring strip to the inner surface of said door adjacent its
other end, said spring strip including a reversely bent portion
that defines a mounting tab at said other end of said spring strip
which is adhesively affixed to the inner surface of said door, said
reversely bent portion providing a spring effect thereby increasing
the effective length of the spring in order to minimize the stress
at the top of said tab where tension is applied and where failure
of the said adhesive means would first occur, said spring strip
being adapted to normally lie in erect position along the inner
surface of said door with said flag member projecting beyond the
periphery of said door and to be manually deflected with said door
for insertion into said mailbox upon closing of said door, whereby
said spring strip returns to said normally erect position with said
flag exposed outside said mailbox upon opening and closing of said
door for delivery of mail.
2. A signal device for attachment to a mailbox as claimed in claim
1, wherein said adhesive means comprises a double-faced adhesive
strip.
3. A signal device for attachment to a mailbox as claimed in claim
2, wherein said adhesive strip comprises a resilient interlayer
having adhesive surfaces.
4. A signal device for attachment to a mailbox as claimed in claim
1, wherein said flag member comprises a central segment coplanar
with said spring strip, with oppositely deflected wings along
either edge of said central segment for enhancing the visibility of
said flag.
5. A signal device for attachment to a mailbox as claimed in claim
1, including a peripheral flange on said door adapted to extend
over said housing with said door in the closed position, said
spring strip including an offsetting leg positioned to lodge
between said peripheral flange and said housing when said door is
closed with said flag member exposed.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention pertains broadly to signal devices for rural
mailboxes, and more particularly to such a device which is actuated
upon opening of the mailbox door to provide a visual indication to
a remotely located observer that mail has been delivered to the
box.
In suburban and rural areas mail is generally delivered by motor
vehicle, so that mailboxes are of necessity placed along the
highway where they are accessible by the driver of the delivery
vehicle. The mailbox may thus be some distance from the residence
or business facility to which mail is delivered. It is necessary
for the recipient to physically go to the mailbox to retrieve the
mail after it is delivered. Due to a number of factors, including
highway conditions, volume of mail and time of receipt at the local
post office by the carrier, the daily time of delivery to the rural
box may vary by a considerable amount. Furthermore, on some
delivery days the box holder may not receive any mail. In any
event, with conventional mailboxes determination of whether mail
has been placed in the box necessitates a trip to the box. Absence
of mail in the box would indicate either that mail had not yet been
delivered, or that there was no mail for the box holder that day.
In either event, additional trips to the box might be required
until the question of delivery was resolved.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In accordance with the present invention, there is provided a
signal flag device for attachment to the hinged door of the
mailbox, the signal flag being spring actuated for storage within
the box so that upon opening of the door the flag will pop up and
extend outside the box when the door is closed to provide a clearly
visible indication of mail delivery to a remote observer. The
device not only may be applied to new mailboxes, but is also
particularly suited for retrofitting of existing mailboxes without
the use of tools. To that end, it comprises an elongated, flat,
flexible arm including means at one end for adhesively attaching
the arm to the inner surface of the hinged door of the mailbox. At
the opposite, free end of the arm there is provided a brightly
colored, highly visible signal flag. The preferred embodiment of
the flexible arm includes a reversely bent end segment by which it
is attached to the door surface in order to minimize the stress
upon the adhesive bonding layer when the arm is deflected for
insertion into the mailbox. In an alternate embodiment, the
flexible arm is secured to an intermediate backing plate which is,
in turn, secured to the surface of the door by an adhesive
interlayer member. The connection of the arm to the plate increases
the effective length of the arm, and thus facilitates its flexing,
with minimum stress upon the adhesive layer.
It is, therefore, a primary object of the invention to provide an
improved signal flag device for the mailboxes which will visually
indicate to remotely located observers that mail has been placed in
the box.
Another object of the invention is to provide such a device which
is durable, yet inexpensive to manufacture.
Another object of the invention is to provide such a device which
can be readily affixed to existing mailboxes without using tools or
drilling holes in the box.
Still another object is to provide such a device which is activated
by opening of the door so as to be foolproof in operation.
Other objects and advantages of the invention will become more
apparent during the course of the following description, when taken
in connection with the accompanying drawing.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING
In the drawing, wherein like numerals refer to like parts
throughout:
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a conventional end-opening rural
mailbox having the signal flag device of the invention mounted upon
its door;
FIG. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary section taken substantially along
line 2--2 of FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary section similar to FIG. 2 and
illustrating the signal flag stored within the mailbox;
FIG. 4 is an enlarged transverse section of an alternate embodiment
for attaching the signal flag to the mailbox; and
FIG. 5 is a front view of the alternate embodiment taken
substantially along line 5--5 of FIG. 4.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
Referring now to the drawings, there is shown generally at 10 a
conventional end-opening type rural mailbox incorporating the
invention and comprising an inverted U-shaped housing 11 having a
flat bottom or floor 12 and enclosed at the rear by a fixed end
wall 13. At the opposite or front end there is provided a door 14
hinged at its lower edge to the box as by hinge pins 15. In order
to make the mailbox more weather-tight, the lid 14 is formed with a
rearwardly bent peripheral flange portion 16 adapted to loosely
engage around the outside of the U-shaped housing 11 with the door
in the closed position.
Such rural mailboxes are generally mounted atop a post (not shown)
set in the ground along the highway, with the door 14 facing the
highway so that the door can be readily opened for insertion of
mail by a mail carrier riding in an automotive vehicle. To that
end, there is suitably affixed to the outer surface of the door 14
a spring strap 17 having a downwardly turned handle 18 and a
protuberance 19. A second spring strap 29 carried by the upper
portion of the housing 11 has its outer end turned upwardly to form
a handle member 21, and includes a detent 22 adapted to cooperate
with the protuberance 19 on the spring strip 17 to releasably
retain the door 14 in its closed position. The mail carrier can
thus readily grasp the handle 18 to open the door for insertion of
mail, and then close it to engage the protuberance 19 in the detent
22 for securing it in the closed position.
The novel signal device of the invention is identified generally at
23, and includes a thin, elongated strip 24 of a suitable spring
material such as metal or one of the tough, durable plastics. The
spring strip is adapted to be adhesively secured to the interior
surface of the door 14 at one end of its ends as will be
hereinafter explained, and at its other end carries an enlarged
brightly colored signal indicia or flag 25. The flag is preferably
formed integrally with the strip, but may also be fabricated
separately and suitably affixed thereto in a conventional manner.
It may be planar in form and of any desired outline, in which case
it would be readily visible from the front or rear but might be
difficult to see at a distance from the side. In order to enhance
its visibility from all directions, in a preferred form as best
shown in FIG. 1, the flag includes a central segment 26 having
oppositely deflected wings 27 on either side which will be readily
visible from the sides.
The spring strip 24 is bent at 28 adjacent the end opposite the
flag to form a reversely bent mounting tab 29. As best seen in
FIGS. 2 and 3, a strip 30 of double faced adhesive material is
adhered to the surface of the mounting tab for affixing the signal
device to the surface of the door 14. The adhesive strip may be any
of a number of commercially available products, and is preferably
of the type comprising a resilient foam interlayer having adhesive
material on both faces. The adhesive strip thus cooperates with the
spring strip 24, bend 28 and mounting tab 29 to distribute the
stress as the signal is bent over for insertion into the box upon
closing of the door as will be hereinafter explained. The
peripheral flange 16 of the door 14 fits loosely around the
U-shaped housing 11 when the door is closed. In order to permit the
door to be completely closed with the signal 23 in its erect
position, the elongated strip 24 is provided with a transversely
extending offsetting leg 31 adapted to be received between the
housing 11 and the flange 16 when the door is closed as shown in
FIG. 2. Since the offsetting leg is confined between the housing
and the flange it not only allows the door to be closed completely,
but also insures that the portion of the strip 24 carrying the flag
25 will stand erect to clearly display the flag.
Briefly reviewing operation of the invention, the signal 23 is
affixed to the interior surface of the door 14 by means of the
adhesive strip 30, with the offsetting leg 31 positioned closely
adjacent the peripheral flange 16 of the door. The signal device is
then loaded or activated by manually deflecting the elongated
spring strip 24 about the point of attachment sufficiently as the
door is closed to insert the flag 25 into the box as shown in FIG.
3. In deflecting the spring strip, the bend 28 provides a spring
effect and increases the effective length of the spring strip so
that the stress at the top of the mounting tab 29, where tension is
applied and any failure of the adhesive bond would begin, is
minimized. The resilient interlayer of the adhesive strip 30 not
only accommodates any projections or depressions on the surfaces of
the door and the strip 24 to provide adhesive bonding over the
entire area, but also cooperates by absorbing stress from the
mounting tab 29 to facilitate deflection of the elongated strip 24
for insertion of the flag 25 into the box with minimum stress upon
the adhesive bond.
With the signal device thus inserted in the box prior to mail
delivery, it will spring to its normal erect position upon opening
of the door for delivery of mail. When the door is again closed by
the delivery person, the signal will assume the position
illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2 whereupon the flag 25 will be clearly
visible from remote locations, indicating mail has been delivered.
As the mail is retrieved and the door closed, the signal device is
again loaded into the box to await the next delivery.
There is shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 an alternate embodiment of the
mounting arrangement for the signal device 23, the device otherwise
being identical to the embodiment of FIGS. 1 to 3. In the alternate
embodiment there is affixed to the elongated strip 24 in place of
the bend 28 and the mounting tab 29, a thin backing plate 32, as by
a staple 33 extending through the strip 24 and the backing plate.
The backing plate is of a thin, relatively stiff material such as
the sheet aluminum stock used in fabricating gutters and siding,
and may be somewhat wider than the elongated strip 24 in order to
accommodate a larger adhesive strip 30. It also preferably extends
beyond the end of the spring strip 24 to increase the effective
length of the spring strip as it is deflected to insert the flag
into the mailbox. As the flag is depressed the spring strip will
begin to deflect at the top of the staple 33 as shown in broken
lines at 24' in FIG. 4, and the backing plate will tend to pivot
about its lower edge, compressing the lower portion of the
resilient adhesive strip 30 and placing its top portion in tension.
Tensile stress at the top edge of the adhesive layer, where any
separation from the door 14 or backing plate 32 would begin, is
thus minimized.
It is to be understood that the forms of the invention herewith
shown and described are to be taken as illustrative embodiments
only of the same, and that various changes in the shape, size and
arrangement of parts may be resorted to without departing from the
spirit of the invention.
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